Musical handbells are delicate musical instruments that need to be handled with care. The tonal qualities of the bell can be adversely affected by any contaminants that may adhere to the surface of the bell from handling. For this reason, handbell ringers often wear gloves so that their bare hands to not come in contact with the bell. Even though the bells are always handled to avoid tarnishing, nonetheless they need to be cleaned from time to time to remove oxidation and environmental pollutants.
In order to preserve the bells, it is known in the art to provide handbells with a tarnish-resistant coating such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,613 issued to Murray et al. The coating disclosed in this document provides the surface of the bell with a vapor-deposited nitride layer such as zirconium nitride or titanium nitride. Temperatures at which the nitride layers are applied can range between 320° F. and 700° F. It is therefore a process which requires expensive equipment and skilled technicians to accomplish. Furthermore, according to the Murray patent, the added nitride layer will raise the frequency of the bell depending upon the thickness of the layer. This will require that tuned bells being refurbished will need to be retuned thus adding additional time and expense to the coating procedure.
There is a therefore a need in the art for a protective handbell coating that is easy to apply, will not affect the frequency or other tonal qualities of the bell, does not require a skilled craftsman to apply and which will provide a durable and decorative finish to the bell which will resist tarnishing.